T.F. South coach John O'Rourke is optimistic better days are ahead for his team.

The Rebels (1-3) struggled last week at the Chicago Heights Classic. But that was expected, considering the opposition. T.F. South opened up with Homewood-Flossmoor (4-0), which went on to win the tournament, and then fell to experienced and skilled Marian Catholic (3-1).

The Rebels rebounded to beat TEAM Englewood before losing to Thornwood in overtime.

O'Rourke, however, believes the losses will reap benefits down the road.

"Those experiences are going to make us better," O'Rourke said. "We played excellent competition. I'm excited about this team."

It was apparent during the tournament that T.F. South could be a sleeper in the South Suburban Blue.

The Rebels have size, speed and depth.

"We have a good nucleus," O'Rourke said. "A lot of guys got experience as juniors last year. It's a matter of us understanding what we have to do against the elite teams. But we're looking forward to putting everything together."

With 6-foot-6 Myles Cephas, 6-5 Bron Hill and 6-3 J'Quan Black in the starting lineup, T.F. South will pose matchup problems for many opponents. When 6-5 Kevin Lawson returns from an injury, the Rebels will boast another big body.

Hill is still trying to develop his basketball legs after completing a successful football season. He set the school record for receiving touchdowns in a season with 10.

Beyond his skill, Hill also is an excellent teammate, according to O'Rourke.

"Bron is our hardest worker," O'Rourke said. "He can't stand to lose. He constantly battles and gives you everything he's got. The rest of the kids feed off that."

Hill's dogged pursuit of victory was evident during the Rebels' 65-55 loss to Marian Catholic on Nov. 22. He led a charge that helped the Rebels cut a 17-point halftime deficit to four in the fourth quarter. Hill scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the second half.

"The one thing we have to work on is coming out strong from the start," O'Rourke said. "We dug ourselves some early holes. I'm proud how we battled back. But against teams like H-F and Marian, it's tough to come back. Those are elite teams. But we're only going to get better."

Putting in some overtime: H-F and Marian Catholic staged an instant classic during their Nov. 23 Chicago Heights Classic semifinal.

The Vikings prevailed 74-73, but it required six overtimes to decide a winner.

Senior forward Jeffrey Boyd has played in a few games that required overtime during his career. But never six in one game.

"It was kind of crazy, but fun," Boyd said. "It was special to play that many overtimes against one of our biggest rivals. I'm just glad we won the game."

Player of the Week: Senior guard Rashad Johnson scored a school-record 52 points, including 13 3-pointers, to lead Oak Lawn to an 83-61 win over Islamic Foundation. He also scored 27 points during a season-opening overtime loss to Catalyst-Maria.